A bomb exploded late Wednesday in Jounieh's Judicial Palace, causing fears that the string of bombings had returned with the start of Lebanon's national dialogue, but security sources said the attack was part a personal dispute and only caused slight material damage. Security sources said the 100 grams of dynamite was attached to a stopwatch and placed behind one of the doors in the building's main highway, used by lawyers to access the court rooms. The sources added that the palace's guards did not hear the explosion and knew about it only after the concierge opened the gates in the morning.The security sources said the dynamite exploded near the traffic court and might have been placed by someone who has been sentenced by the court. Police suspected a person who was attending one of the sessions on Wednesday and who was under threat of being declared bankrupt in a session held early Thursday. The person had given the judge a false name. But when the judge asked him to present his ID, he said he wanted to go to his car to retrieve it. The judge ordered security personnel to accompany him but the suspect pretended to be going home to get the ID and ran away. After determining the true identity and the location of the suspect, police officers were sent to arrest him but could not find him.
Sources said the suspect might have placed the dynamite to hamper Thursday's session. Sources also said that 32 employees in the palace had the key to the main door. They added that earlier in the day, a security official demanded to know the identity of all the employees who had a spare key and decided that the lock should be changed. Security forces said the incident could have led to more serious damage if the explosion had occurred after 9 a.m., when the lawyers and the judges usually arrive to the palace.